THE PRISONER WHO WORE A CROWN

Chapter 9: INTO THE LION’S DEN

The journey to the Silver Crown Kingdom took two days. Liora rode beside the King, surrounded by his elite guards, treated with strange contradiction. She was guarded heavily, yet given soft furs and food fit for royalty. When they arrived at the palace, it took her breath away. It was massive, built of white stone and silver, sitting high on a mountain overlooking the entire realm. It was breathtakingly beautiful, yet heavy with silence and fear.

Inside, she was given grand chambers—large rooms with silk curtains, fireplaces, and mirrors. Servants brought her fine dresses, jewels, and perfumes, bowing low and calling her “My Lady,” yet locking the heavy iron doors behind them when they left.

Draven visited her rarely, and when he did, he kept his distance. In public, during feasts or meetings, she sat beside him on the silver throne, dressed in the finest fabrics, treated exactly like a Queen. He would hold her hand or place a hand on her shoulder, showing the whole court she belonged to him. But in private, behind closed doors, he was cold, distant, and cruel.

“You are here because I allow it,” he told her one night, his golden eyes hard. “Do not think this means anything. You are a reminder of what your people did to mine. You are my prisoner, nothing more.”

Liora hated him in those moments. She hated his lies, his coldness, and the way he acted as if those weeks in the cottage never happened. Yet, every night, after he left, she would find fresh healing herbs or her favorite fruits left on her table. She noticed that no one was ever allowed to speak rudely to her or look at her the wrong way. And when she had a nightmare about the war, she woke up to find him sitting in the dark corner of her room, watching over her, his face full of pain and love before he vanished when she woke.

She began to realize the truth: He was acting the part of the cruel King to protect her. If his enemies knew how much she truly meant to him, she would be used against him instantly. He kept her close to keep her safe, and he kept her at a distance to keep her heart unbroken by the darkness of his world.